'Public Service being rewarded for mediocre work'

Senior managers in the public service cost the State R4.1 billion and pocketed, on average, R811,235 a year -- while presiding over state machinery that barely reached half the targets set, the DA says

CAPTION: A Yalo cartoon (August 2012)

The department of basic education, which achieved only 47% of their targets, had the third highest spending on performance rewards for senior staff

This emerged from the 2011/12 annual reports for national government departments, Democratic Alliance spokesman Kobus Marais said.

“An analysis of the available information on performance targets in the various departmental annual reports shows that national government departments spent, on average, 96.5% of their budgets, but achieved only 52% of their targets.

“Senior managers were, however, rewarded well for this mediocrity,” he said in a statement.

The reports showed that R4.1 billion was spent on the salaries of 4279 permanent employees on senior management level (levels 13 to 16).

A further R378 million was spent on salaries for 450 contract staff in senior management, average salaries were R811,235 for permanent senior managers and R1.314 million for contracted staff in senior management positions (based on averages provided by departments).

Some R41.13 million was spent on performance bonuses for senior managers.

Permanent senior managers in six departments earned an average salary of more than R900,000 a year. These included:

- public enterprise (R935,700),

- public service and administration (R949,000),

- defence (R949,507),

- justice and constitutional development (R1.101 million),

- correctional services (R1.109 million), and

- sport and recreation (R1.6 million).

In the two departments that spent the most on performance bonuses for senior management — National Treasury with R14.3 million and environmental affairs with R5.5 million — the Auditor General (AG) did not note the percentages of targets met.

In the case of Treasury, the AG indicated that the 42% of the targets relevant to programmes were not time bound or tied to a specific deadline. For environmental affairs, the AG had “no material findings” on the performance report.

“It is surprising that the department of basic education, which achieved only 47% of their targets, had the third highest spending on performance rewards for senior staff — R3.1 million,” Marais said.

Massive discrepancies between performance and outputs achieved were also noted for various departments.

The higher education and training department reached only 29 percent of their targets, but paid R1.24 million in senior management bonuses.

The water affairs department achieved 8% of their targets, but paid R669,000 in performance bonuses to senior staff.

At the justice and constitutional development department, R1.04 million was paid in performance bonuses to senior managers in a department that reached only 18% of its targets.

“We cannot continue to reward poor performance in the public service.”

A review of the remuneration policy and performance management system in the public sector was critical, he said.

The perefomace management system in the public service is pathetic to say the least. Perhaps if they could put out a tender to one of the big auditing firms to manage the perfoarmavce system it may assist. The managers in public service seldom get their hands dirty doing real jobs. The come to work every day to hire contractors to do their jobs.

The idepenedent and impartial body could also be set up to look after the perfeomace system as favouritism is also commonplace. If one goes to work in the public sector coming from another company or fresh from college with ideal perfaomace standards they soon get used to mediocrity found in the public service. If the do not tow the line they get sidelinedand overlooked for promotion or any performance related benefit.

The system is pathetic and virtualy non-existent - existing only on policy.

We have to admit that howeva much we want to blame and hate whites, that won't create jobs. Hating whites will not change ANC corrupt politicians behaviour. Blaming apartheid won't give our kids better education. Maybe we feel like this but it will NOT make our fat-cat politicians stop their wasted spending. WE have to vote UDM, Azapo, ACDP, IFP, Cope or DA - its up to the majority VOTERS to give the govt that we voted a big wake-up.!!!.

MoNati u right.....It is the role of any opposition party to expose any ruling party what is wrong if the DA raises these issues? My word these people don't understand democracy......tjerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

MoNati
You are making an assumption that all of these senior officials are black. Take water affairs for example, its dominated by white senior managers due to obvious reasons, few blacks did chemistry to understand water issues, Treasury is the same, defence is the same. This is not a black or white thing. Our so called most progresive constitution is our bigest let down.

MoNati
You are making an assumption that all of these senior officials are black. Take water affairs for example, its dominated by white senior managers due to obvious reasons, few blacks did chemistry to understand water issues, Treasury is the same, defence is the same. This is not a black or white thing. Our so called most progresive constitution is our bigest let down.